In the wake of the Counter Reformation and more intensely after the French Revolution, religious communities of women sprang up with astonishing rapidity in France. Today this form of life is coming to an end, at least in Europe; throughout more than three hundred years this form of religious life provided companionship for women and enabled them contribute effectively to society. Such a phenomenon invites analysis, both of the origins and the motivations for such an upsurge of women's communities.



The book brings together aspects of the private and public life of members...